Game apparatus



C. B. GAMBLE Aug. 22, 1933.

GAME APPARATUS Filed March 17, 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet l l /ci J fill 6711601 67/1424 5513 GAMBL E g {24, @Le M ATTOENEKS Aug. 22, 1933.

C. B. GAMBLE GAME APPARATUS Filed March 17. 1931 Jo T l I I 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 [7a 1 672 2 0 7 Owe; E55. 64/1451. E

ArrozNEYJ' Patented Aug. 22, 1933 UNITED STTES PATENT GFFICE 8 Claims.

My invention rela es to an indoor game device and the object of the invention is to provide an apparatus by means of which a game, such as golf, can be played indoors using the same variety of clubs that would be in an out-of-door game, as d by the yardage of the differout holes on any c:-:istln course that might be selooted for use in pla n the game or one laid out on paper with the holes varied in length ac- 1 cording to the fancy of the user of the device.

A further and particular object of my invention is to provide an apparatus having incorporated therein a registering mechanism whereby the player of the game in using different clubs can determine with a reasonable degree of accuracy the distance obtained with each club and the number of strokes necessary to reach a green in a hole of a certain length, the distance to be obtained being the deciding factor in the players selection of his club for each stroke.

A further object is to provide a game apparatus of comparatively simple, inexpensive construction which can be easily and quickly set up and has no delicate parts to be easily broken or disarranged.

A further object is to provide a game apparatus which, while primarily designed for use in playing a game of indoor golf, may be employed with suitable modifications, in other games where ball is discharged or driven against a yielding surface.

Other objects will appear from the following description. In the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification,

Figure 1 is a front elevation of the apparatus embodying my invention;

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the same, the dotted lines indicating the position assumed by the flexible sheet and the levers connected therewith when the sheet is struck by a ball or other object;

Figure 3 is a rear view of the apparatus; and,

Figure 4 is a sectional view on the line 4-4 of Figure 2.

In the drawings, 2 represents a suitable base and 3 an upright standard mounted thereon. The base has sufficient weight to hold the frame of the apparatus in a suitable upright position while permitting it to be moved from place to place for the purpose of adjusting the frame in the desired location for playing the game. A spider 4 is secured to the upper portion of the standard 3 and has a series of arms 5 radiating therefrom. These arms are preferably inclined forwardly as indicated in Figure 2 and I prefer to provide four of them, though a greater or lesser number may be employed if preferred. As shown, the arms extend radially a suitable distance from the spider depending upon the desired diameter of the frame, the inner ends of the arms being rigidly secured to the spider by any suitable means. The outer ends of the arms preferably have flat surfaces 6 and levers '7 are seated on these surfaces and are connected to side faces of the arms by hinges 8. The levers are mounted at any suitable point intermediate to their ends on the radial arms so that each lever will have a portion projecting in front and in the rear of the arm, the flat end surface of each arm forming a stop to limit the inwardly swinging movement of the rear end of each lever.

The forward ends of the levers have suitable flexible tabs 9 secured at one end thereto, the free ends of the tabs being stitched or otherwise secured to a flexible sheet 10 of canvas or any other suitable material. The canvas is thus sup ported or suspended at four points, one point of attachment to each lever to which the force or impact of the blow upon the sheet will be instantly transmitted. This sheet may be of any suitable size according to the desired distance between the supporting levers.

Normally the sheet will hang loosely in the position indicated by full lines in Figure 2. When, however, it is struck by a driven ball or other object it will assume the dotted line position, or substantially so, and thereupon the force of the impact will be transmitted to the levers to tilt them on their supporting pivots, swing the forward ends inwardly and the rear ends outwardly as indicated by dotted lines in Figure 2.

The sheet preferably has an extension 11 which depends below the lower supporting levers in front of the base and standard for the purpose of deflecting a ball that may have been topped or driven at such an angle that it does not strike the sheet between its points of suspension, and a suitable back stop may be provided in the rear of the frame to catch the balls that miss entirely the lever supported sheet. It is evident that in driving a golf ball against this sheet the force of the impact will determine the degree of travel of the supporting levers. A hard driven ball will, of course, strike the sheet with greater force and this force transmitted to the levers will exert a greater pull upon them and tilt these levers to a greater degree than when the sheet is struck by a ball driven with less force. A player, therefore, knowing approximately the distance he can obtain with the different clubs used by him can,

through the movement of the levers when the sheet is struck by a ball, indicate quite accnrately the flight of a ball in yards by a suitable mechanism connected with and actuated by the tilting levers. The at the movements of these levers is common the blow on the sheet when this movement is transmitted to a suitable registering device the distance indicated thereby will be approximat 'ly ce player would obtain in play he out-of-door game.

Various devices be tztliized for registering the degree of movement of the levers and the impact of the bail on the supported by these levers but I have den-seal a simple, inexpensive mechanism for this purpose that will be operated with a minimum of friction and lost motion and which cor struction and not c This preferred registe ceed to describe in de The spider a has a hub portion 12 provided with horizontal radiating arms 13 and 14 and a similar upright arm 15. On these arms sheaves 16, 17 and 18 are mounted, the sheaves 16 and 17 being upon substantially the same level upon opposite sides of the hub member 12 and the sheave 18 above and intermediate the other sheaves, as shown plainly in Figure 3. A stud 19 is tapped into the hub member 12 and projects horizontally therefrom toward the rear of the game apparatus. A drum 20 is loosely mounted on this stud and a hub 21 is also loosely mounted on the stud and held in frictional engagement with a disc 22 secured on the stud by means of a compression spring L33. An indicator 24 is mounted in the hub and projects horizontally therefrom in its nor a. position, as shown in Figure 1, this indicator being adapted to move over the graduations on a scale that is provided in the rear of the game apparatus, the figures of the scale representing yards of distance and are placed upon a suitable sheet or other means 25 supported in the rear of the apparatus. The position of these graduations, as usual in devices of this kind, will be determined by experimentation. If the player stands in front of the flexible sheet and selects a certain club with which he has found in out-of-door use he can obtain a certain distance in yards, then, if the apparatus is working properly, and, he connects fairly with the ball and believes from its impact with the sheet that the ball would have been driven, say 150 yards on the fairway, he can note the position assumed by the indicator of the apparatus and mark that spot with the graduations corresponding to the distance he believes he has obtained and by experimenting with the different wood and iron clubs he can determine with reasonable accuracy the proper position of the graduations on the scale of yards.

A threaded rod 26 is provided in the hub 21 on the other side of its and a weight 27 is adjustably mounted on this rod by means of which the weight of the indicator 24 may be counterbalanced so that it will not be necessary to overcome the force of gravity of the indicator before its movement over the graduations of the scale begins.

A pin 28 is mounted in the drum 20 and projects rearwardly under the indicator 24, as shown plainly in Figure 4, so that movement of the drum produces a corresponding movement of the indicator 24 and the hub 21. The frictional engagement of the hub 21 with the disc 22 will retain the indicator 24 at the maximum point to which the drum has moved it.

It is necessary to provide suitable means for transmitting or transferring the travel or stroke of the pivoted levers to the indicating arm or rod and this I prefer to accomplish by mounting sheaves A, B, C, and D in the rear end portions of the iever 7 so that there will be a sheave and its supporting lever in the rear of each corner of the sheet with which the ball or other object impacts. A suitable flexible cable 29 is provided for running engagement with the sheaves, as above described, and preferably this cable is stretched between the sheaves in the following manner:

Take for instance, the sheave A at the upper left hand corner of Figure 3. The cable is passed around this sheave until a point about the middle of the cable is in engagement with the sheave. One end of the cable is then stretched around the sheave 17 near the center of the apparatus, thence to the sheave C at the lower left hand corner of Figure 3, then back to the drum 20. The other end of the cable is passed under the sheave 18, thence to sheave 18, back to the sheave 16, from thence outwardly to the sheave D and then to the drum 20, where the two ends of the cable are joined and passed around the drum a suitable number of times and then connected to the weights 30, made up as shown in Figure 3, of a number of sections, and adapted to be increased or decreased in number as desired.

These we its will hold the cable under tension and dla .v inwardly on the that nor mally each lever will be against the flat end surface of the arm 5 on which it is pivoted, and this will prev cnt any e ch being applied to the sheet connecting the forward ends of the levers allowing the sheet to hang loosely between these lovers and avoiding danger of rebound of a ball resulting from stri a surface that drawn taut or under ten ion. (in the contrary, when the ball strikes cus ided sheet there will be a sufficient vi ction of the sheet to eliminate r bound and at the same time the force of the impact will be tra mitted through the sheet to levers without any appreciaslo loss in the force of impact. The convolutions of the cable on the dr 1"1 w ll prevent slippage thereon and pull th is on the cable will be instantly irar' to tho drur-J its rotation and move the indicat yer the graduatioi the of the apparatus. The distance traveled by the indicator on the ons will, of course, depend upon the force of me impact of the ball with the lie le sheet. If the ball is struck with a force w? ive it, for instance 230 y is down 9 fairway, then if the calibration ubstantia correct and the mechanism in proper Working order. the indicator should stop appro Lately or opposite the 290 mark on the thus ndicathig the player that the ball has been driven approximately 299 yards. If the particular hole that is being played is 400 yards in length then the player will understand that he has another shot requiring, usually, a brassie shot to reach the green and, if upon playing the second shot witli the brassie or any other club that ii" selected for the purpose, the mechan sill min ates for a second time a distance of yards, the player will assume that his ball has reached the green. Previously, however, to this second shot it will be necessary for him to return the indicator hand to its normal or zero position and this is accomplished by means of a cord 31 that is connected to the hub 21 and passes over suitable pulleys 32 to a point within the reach of the player and is provided with a ring 33 or other suitable hand grip by means of which the player standing on the tee or other playing position can pull the cord 31, reverse the movement of the hub 21 and return the indicator hand and drum ill to normal position, as illustrated in Figure If for any reason, when the player fails to the green with the second shot, as above described, and instead of making yards drives the ball only 150, he will then have a 59 yard shot to reach the green and, having previously returned the indicator to a1 position, he will'select a suitable club accor... g to the distance usually obtained by him with that club in playing the game out-of-doors and will then make his shot and if the distance to go is yards and the indicator stops opposite this mark. on the dial, then the player will assume that his ball is dead to the hole. If the distance to go is 50 yards and the indicator moves to '75 or 80, then the player will understand that he has over-shot the green as many yards as the register indicates in excess of 50 and it will then be necessary for him to play back to the green. Ii instead of overplaying the green the scale indicates that the ball has been driven 40 yards instead of 60. the required distance, then the player may assume that his ball is within ten yards of the cup or on the edge of the green and within putting distance of the cup. He will then place the ball on a putting surface that is provided in connection with the game apparatus and putt in the usual way to a cup that is located approximately the distance from where the ball is dropped that the cup of the green is assumed to be from the point at the edge of the green where the ball has come to rest.

In this way a player or group of players can play an indoor game of golf using holes of any desired length and playing the game with any club that the player may have in his bag, and, while there may be some difierence in the distance of flight indicated on the dial from that which the player would actually obtain in an outof-door game, nevertheless the mechanism may be so adjusted that the distances indicated will be approximately correct and, of course, will be just as fair for one player as for another and at any time the distances obtained, as indicated on the scale, may be increased or decreased by varying the weight attached to the cable.

If the Weight is increased then there will be greater resistance to the movement of the levers supporting the flexible sheet with which the ball impacts. The travel of the drum will be less and there will be a corresponding decrease in the movement of the indicator. If, on the other hand, the weight is reduced there will be correspondingly less resistance to the movement of the levers under the impact of a ball on the sheet and the indicator will register a correspondingly higher graduation on the scale. Thus the user of the apparatus can with little difficulty determine the proper weight to be applied to the cable to yieldingly resist movement of the levers, under the estimated force of impact of a ball, to register on the dial approximately the distance of flight of the ball out-of-doors if struck with the same force.

From the foregoing description, it will be noted that the rotary movement of the drum caused by the oscillation of the levers 7 will be proportional to the sum of the individual lever movement. For instance, if the point of impact of the ball is in the exact center of the sheet, each lever will move approximately the same distance. On the other hand, if the point of impact of the ball should be to one side of the center or close to one of the levers, the eiTect will be greater on this particular lever and less on the others. The sum, however, of the lever movement in both cases will be approximately equal and will therefore cause an approximately equal rotation of the drum. This feature of the device is quite important as the accuracy of the indicating mechanism is not aiiected even though the ball does not strike the sheet in the center. The result is practically the same when the sheet is struck at any point on its surface. The player, therefore, has a surface of considerable area against which to drive the ball and the accuracy of the indicating device will not be impaired materially even though the ball may strike the canvas above or below or on either side of the middle portion. The arrangement is such that when the canvas is struck at any point by an object traveling at a given speed a correspondingly equal movement of the indicating mechanism will be produced.

In various ways the details of construction herein shown and described may be modified and still be within the scope of my invention.

I claim as my invention:

1. The combination with a plurality of radial arms, of levers pivoted intermediate to their ends on the outer portions of said arms, a flexible sheet loosely supported by said levers on one side of their pivots, the impact of an object striking said sheet causing said levers to be tilted on their pivots, and a mechanism connected with said levers on the opposite side of their pivots from said sheet for indicating a distance in yards commensurate with the aggregate tilting movement of said levers.

2. The combination with a frame having a plurality of radial arms, of levers hinged to the outer portions of said arms and normally seated upon the outer ends of said arms transversely with respect thereto, a flexible sheet loosely supported by said levers on one side of their pivots whereby the impact of a ball striking said sheet will tilt said levers on their pivots, the ends of said arms forming stops for said levers and preventing said sheet from being drawn taut, and an indicating mechanism connected with said levers on the other side of their pivots.

3..The combination of a suitable support, of a plurality of levers pivoted thereon, a flexible sheet connected to said levers on one side of their pivots, sheaves mounted in said levers on the other side of their pivots, a plurality of sheaves mounted in said support, a rotating drum, a cable having a running connection with said sheaves and be ing wrapped around said drum, a weight suspended by said cable from said drum for yieldingly resisting the tilting of said levers on their pivots, and a registering device having means operated by the movement of said drum when said levers are tilted upon the impact of a ball with said flexible sheet.

4. The combination with an upright standard, of a plurality of arms radiating therefrom, levers pivoted intermediate to their ends on the outer portions of said arms, a flexible sheet having flexible connections to the forward ends of said levers and adapted to transmit the impact of a golf ball on said sheet to said levers, a revolving drum on said standard, a plurality of sheaves on saidgtandard, a cable having running connections with said levers in the rear of said arms and with said sheaves and wrapped around said drum, a weight suspended by said cable below said drum whereby a tension will be applied to said cable to yieldingly resist the impact of a ball striking said sheet, and a registering device having means operated by the movement of said drum when said levers are actuated through the impact of a ball on said sheet.

5. The combination with a support and a plurality of opposed oscillatable members thereon, of a flexible sheet connected to said members and adapted when struck by a flying object to transmit a pull to said members and cause tilting movement thereof, means connected to said members to yieldingly resist pull of said sheet thereon, means whereby tensioning of said sheet by the pull of said yielding means on said members is prevented, and a registering mechanism connected with said yielding means.

6. The combination with a supporting means, of lever members pivotally mounted at spaced points thereupon, a flexible sheet connected at diametrically opposite points to said lever members, the arrangement being such that when said sheet is struck by a flying object, a pull will be imparted to said members and tilt them on their pivots proportionally to their proximity to the point of contact of the flying object with said sheet, and mechanism connected with said members for indicating distance in yards commensurate with the aggregate tilting of said members.

'7. In a device of the class described, a plurality of osciliatable members and a supporting means therefor, a flexible sheet having its outer portion loosely connected to said members whereby it may have an initial independent movement when struck by a flying object and subsequently tilt said members, and a mechanism connected with said members for indicating distance in yards commensurate with the resultant tilting of said members.

8. In a device of the class described, a plurality of osciliatable members and a supporting means therefor, a flexible sheet connected to said members whereby when said sheet is struck by a flying object said members will be tilted in one direction, a rotatable drum, a cable on said drum having running connections with said members and having means for yieldingly resisting the tilting of said members, the rotation of said drum through the swinging movement of said members being proportional to the sum of the individual member movement in one direction, and a registering device operated by the movement of said drum.

CHARLES B. GAMBLE. 

